Moving a Hive From My Roof

[DC Honeybees]

I have a neighbor who has now complained that his wife got stung by a bee so he threw down the gauntlet and told me the bees had to go.

The irony is that he is actually moving in 60 days. So go figure.

So here is my method of moving a hive:

[NasalSponge]

Interesting

[Mbeck]

Wow! What a pain!

[whiskers]

If you have a friend who is a roofer he will have equipment (and experience) to make this job way easier than that.
Bill

[JRG13]

I hope once he's gone you can resume your hobby.

[BigGun]

How does he know it's your bee? Tell him to pound sand especially since he's moving!

[Charlie B]

I have 12 hives on my roof and would not move them over one complaint. Is it legal to keep bees in DC? If so I would tell your neighbor to......

[feltze]

To a person who doesn't understand bee behavior it may be hard to impress on them that a bee rarely if ever stings anyone outside the immediate vicinity of the bee hive (defence of home and family) unless you swatted the bee or injured it in someway provoking a defense responce.

That being said, let him know your moving them as soon as you can get an alternate location... and wait him out

[AstroBee]

Very delicate situation. Yes, we beekeepers seem to believe that bees are in general harmless creatures that would never sting unprovoked. Then, of course there's the other side of non-beekeepers who are petrified of bees and get stung by a "bee" every time a mosquito bites. Personally, I believe that the truth lies somewhere in between. Yes, I agree that stings are very rare away from the colonies, but they DO happen. Currently, I have some contractors putting in a koi pond at my house. All the major digging has been completed and they are in the final stages of placing stones around the perimeter. The work is 35 yards from a bunch of very gentle hives. So far, one of the workers has been stung twice. I have intentionally not worked the hives before or during the construction, but still stings have occurred. I witnessed the sting mark (not the sting event), and its clear to me that she was definitely stung. No one else on the crew has been stung. My wife, a non-beekeeper, has only been stung twice the in last 11 years. So, I believe, that for some reason, certain people are just more likely to get stung. It could have to do with perfumes, lotions, or other scents, motions, and even perhaps other things, but it happens.

I believe that DC should be commended for acting responsibly.

[jmgi]

As long as there is not an ordinance saying no bees allowed, which I am assuming that there isn't in your case, I wouldn't lift a finger to move them, your just dealing with another bully who thrives on telling people what to do. The fact that his wife got stung does not mean it was your bee, but because you have a hive this know-it-all neighbor knows for a fact it was your bee who did it, just ridiculous. I would love to be in your situation just this once to push it to the limit with this guy. John

[Kristen beck]

i would not have moved one bee! In fact, being the sh*# disturber that i can at times be, i would have snuck over and sprayed his front door with sugar water! I have loved this phrase since i was a little kid, "Mind your own Beeswax", seems fitting in this situation!

[DC Honeybees]

Thank you all for your support!!

In DC it is actually unclear whether beekeeping is actually legal. So we operate in the gray area and thus can't really take a firm stand. And in the vein of full disclosure, I did get a bit carried away, with eight active hives on a 17-foot-wide townhouse roof...

[jmgi]

It must be legal, president Obama has one, or is he the lone exception. John

[Aerindel]

As long as there is not an ordinance saying no bees allowed, which I am assuming that there isn't in your case, I wouldn't lift a finger to move them, your just dealing with another bully who thrives on telling people what to do

This ^^^ a million times this.

i would have snuck over and sprayed his front door with sugar water!

I would have sprayed it with something worse.

[TheBuzz]

You DON'T have to lift a finger.

[gonzo]

hmmm.... city ordinances can be difficult. i keep looking ONLINE for something regarding Tucson but have yet to find anything... i'm still weary though.... hopefully i can chalk it up to paranoia....


in regards to the neighbor.... being up 3 stories seems a bit odd to me that she would be stung, however... i would differ a bit from some of these responses. Obviously, we are a bit prejudice in how we act regarding bee complaints. However, i see no reason to play nasty just yet. You catch more flys with honey than vinegar. i would offer up conversation and honey, literally, first before reacting strongly. Remember that some folks are actually allergic at a fatal level to bee stings... how would you react if it were you?...

[pbuhler]

Thank you all for your support!!

In DC it is actually unclear whether beekeeping is actually legal. So we operate in the gray area and thus can't really take a firm stand. And in the vein of full disclosure, I did get a bit carried away, with eight active hives on a 17-foot-wide townhouse roof...

It seems that you have a clear view from your neighbor's windows - can you screen your bees (tomato plants or a some sort of fence) from view so that they are convenient to you, and less likely to intimidate the neighbors? Then it would be harder for them to claim it was your bees at fault. Just an Idea. Peaceful co-existence?

[Keth Comollo]

I wish you the best of luck with your move and your neighbors. So sad when people overreact to insects.

Curious why you have a feeder and honey supers at the same time?

[DC Honeybees]

Those feeders are a vestige of spring feeding. I leave them in there (empty) during the flow, and have them then at the ready in case I need to fortify with a fall or mid-winter meal.

[Charlie B]

Having been in law enforcement for 24 years I can tell you it's much easier to defend yourself against a bee sting complaint vs. a nuisance complaint like bee poop on neighbors cars, windows or skylights.

On a bee sting complaint, you have to prove:
1. What stung the complainant was a honey bee.
2. The honeybee lives in your hive.

Good luck with that!